End-of-life disposal concepts for libration point and highly elliptical orbit missions

Colombo, Camilla and Letizia, Francesca and Soldini, Stefania and Lewis, Hugh and Alessi, Elisa Maria and Rossi, Alessandro and Vasile, Massimiliano and Vetrisano, Massimo and Van Der Weg, Willem Johan and Landgraf, Markus (2014) End-of-life disposal concepts for libration point and highly elliptical orbit missions. In: 2nd Conference on Dynamics and Control of Space Systems, DyCoSS2, 2014-03-24 - 2014-03-26.

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Abstract

Libration Point Orbits (LPOs) and Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEOs) are often selected for astrophysics and solar terrestrial missions. No guidelines currently exist for their end-of life, however it is a critical aspect to other spacecraft and on ground safety. This paper presents an analysis of possible disposal strategies for LPO and HEO missions as a result of an ESA study. The dynamical models and the design approach are presented. Five missions are selected: Herschel, Gaia, SOHO as LPOs, and INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton as HEOs. A trade-off is made considering technical feasibility, as well as the sustainability context and the collision probability.